Update on GROUNDS Coffee Ground Bedding for your coop!

[humblehillsfarm]

I have been lazy in photographing this process but I have been collecting coffee grounds about 3-4 times a week and drying them. At first I was leaving them in the greenhouse but airflow wasn’t sufficient so drying times were slow and I lost several batches to mold since I am not home enough to stir even twice a day. I’ve started putting them in the sun, risking the rain, and dry times have decreased dramatically. I already have a box full of dried ones that aren’t pictured. I’m building a 10’x20’ coop hopefully In the next month that I hope to fill with coffee and chickens!

 

[speedy2020]

I had sand, but clear out to move my shipping box coop couple months ago. I may call Starbuck and see if I can get some coffee ground to add in the coop.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I had sand, but clear out to move my shipping box coop couple months ago. I may call Starbuck and see if I can get some coffee ground to add in the coop.

I will not lie, it takes dedication

 

[1shelby1]

I wanted to edit my original post to include all of the questions I've answered throughout the thread, so that you don't have to scroll and scroll. I also wanted to expand a bit on whether or not coffee grounds on toxic to chickens. Unfortunately I cannot edit the original post, so I updated my signature with a link to a blog post which collectively answers all of the questions: https://humble-hills-farm.com/2020/07/24/using-coffee-grounds-as-chicken-coop-bedding/ I am learning as I go, so I'll keeping updating the post (and on here, too).

Here's the excerpt about ingesting coffee grounds:

Caffeine is a member of the methylxanthine family, and methylxanthines are potentially toxic to pets in certain quantities, but research is limited on chickens. I found various opinions online from bloggers, a couple stating that caffeine could be toxic to chickens (Raising Happy Chickens & Chicken and Chicks Information ). Hobby Farms states that coffee grounds shouldn’t be feed to chickens, but that coffee chaff makes acceptable bedding. Remember, chickens are not mammals, and mammals are the pets that most data is based upon in terms of toxicity.

I found only one official research article which included coffee as feed for chickens. The Inclusion of Coffee in Commercial Layer Diets, published in 2011, included 125 laying hens which were split into groups: a control, one fed 1.2% of their diet with caffeinated coffee (roughly 9 mg of caffeine per bird, considered a “moderate” amount), and the other fed a diet with 1.2% decaffeinated coffee. The study lasted between 21 and 35 weeks. The authors were assessing the affects coffee might have on the feed intake, egg production, and egg quality of commercial laying hens. What they found was there was no significant difference in feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg mass, or feed conversion rate; however, egg shells were slightly thinner. They conclude by saying, “No scientific articles on feeding coffee to poultry were found, and therefore, further studies using coffee dregs, because it is a cheap byproduct and with economic potential, are recommended.” The unspoken conclusion here would be coffee does not appear toxic to chickens when consumed continuously in moderate amounts for a period of five to six months.

In reality, some bedding that we commonly use are also possibly toxic (I’m looking at you, pine shavings and straw), and yet farmers, backyard chicken keepers, and homesteaders continue to use them. I have been using coffee grounds in my coop for five months now to no ill-effects and will continue to use them. My chickens do not express any interest in eating the grounds, or if they have they have not had any objective health issues. Every chicken is different so my experiences may not align with yours. I think the economic potential of coffee dregs lies in it’s use as bedding, not feed.

Thanks for such a great update! I never would have thought of grinds for my coop! Such a good recycle idea!!

 

[BDutch]

Thanks @humblehillsfarm et all, for sharing, you’re research and reassuring that coffee grinds are harmless for chickens.

I already have been using coffee grinds in my garden because it still has lots of nutrients after making coffee.

After reading this thread I plan to use it under the poop board. Even wet if the weather is nice because it will dry on the poop board just as wel as the chicken poo.

I use sand in the main part of the coop and have no issues with the sand. My chickens rarely poop there. I only have to rake this every two weeks to keep it tidy. My coop is extremely airy: it doesn't smell as long as its not raining the whole time.
Sometimes I put some lavender clippings in the closed area and on the poop board for a nice odor. In the nest boxes I mix sand+ diatom for a ground layer and put hay on top.

Saving our own coffee grinds will be enough for the poop board together with other stuff like leaves and herbs from the garden. I don’t rake the poop board. But get the carton with all the greens, browns and poop out and empty it on top on the compost pile. I always put unfolded cartons on top of the board for easy cleaning.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Thanks @humblehillsfarm et all, for sharing, you’re research and reassuring that coffee grinds are harmless for chickens.

I already have been using coffee grinds in my garden because it still has lots of nutrients after making coffee.

After reading this thread I plan to use it under the poop board. Even wet if the weather is nice because it will dry on the poop board just as wel as the chicken poo.

I use sand in the main part of the coop and have no issues with the sand. My chickens rarely poop there. I only have to rake this every two weeks to keep it tidy. My coop is extremely airy: it doesn't smell as long as its not raining the whole time.
Sometimes I put some lavender clippings in the closed area and on the poop board for a nice odor. In the nest boxes I mix sand+ diatom for a ground layer and put hay on top.

Saving our own coffee grinds will be enough for the poop board together with other stuff like leaves and herbs from the garden. I don’t rake the poop board. But get the carton with all the greens, browns and poop out and empty it on top on the compost pile. I always put unfolded cartons on top of the board for easy cleaning.

I think they’d be great on the poop board. Much better than Sweet PDZ because they aren’t dusty. I wouldn’t use them outside though just because when I’m drying them, if I don’t stir them at least once a day while drying they will mold so I imagine mold could be a problem if the run isn’t covered. However, after six months of using them, there’s a lot of coffee outside my pop door and those grinds don’t seem to have molded so who knows.

 

[kerbotx]

Just adding my two cents here - I use an herb drying rack to dry out my grounds. I collect the grounds with their filters and spread them out on the mesh racks, about 2x a week. Grounds are usually dry the next day, but def by day two. I'm just using the grounds on my poop boards, and it's not near enough what I need, but it's been a fun experiment!

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Thanks for this thread!
I am so disappointed that TSC discontinued Grounds. Earlier this year hubby and I went 1 1/2 hours to get it from the only TSC in my state that carried it. They had it on clearance, so we took all 11 (for an additional discount, they wanted it out because it didn't really sell, and two bags were busted). I don't like to change it out because I only have so many. It is getting a bit dusty now, I changed it once, it lasts many months. I love how light it is and dustless at first. I've used a LOT of combinations, sand is ok, but "cold" and dusty, then I did sand and sweet pdz, dusty. Then just sweet pdz, pricy and dusty. Then pine pellets, which were scoopable after they'd gotten broken down, but dusty.
I think the chickens might have tried a bit of the Grounds when I first put it in the coops, but now the biggest downside is they like to lay their eggs in it, on the poop board. It was funny when I first put it in the one coop I didn't see any tracks for about a week.

Since I still have several bags of grounds, I think that if I start now I can get enough from the coffee grounds from work, the stuff I make, and I have friends who are coffee drinkers, do small batches. I wonder how well oven drying would work.

 

[BDutch]

Thanks for this thread!
I am so disappointed that TSC discontinued Grounds. Earlier this year hubby and I went 1 1/2 hours to get it from the only TSC in my state that carried it. They had it on clearance, so we took all 11 (for an additional discount, they wanted it out because it didn't really sell, and two bags were busted). I don't like to change it out because I only have so many. It is getting a bit dusty now, I changed it once, it lasts many months. I love how light it is and dustless at first. I've used a LOT of combinations, sand is ok, but "cold" and dusty, then I did sand and sweet pdz, dusty. Then just sweet pdz, pricy and dusty. Then pine pellets, which were scoopable after they'd gotten broken down, but dusty.
I think the chickens might have tried a bit of the Grounds when I first put it in the coops, but now the biggest downside is they like to lay their eggs in it, on the poop board. It was funny when I first put it in the one coop I didn't see any tracks for about a week.

Since I still have several bags of grounds, I think that if I start now I can get enough from the coffee grounds from work, the stuff I make, and I have friends who are coffee drinkers, do small batches. I wonder how well oven drying would work.

Sand is available in different sizes of sand grain. At least where I live. Construction sand (for underneath stoops and terraces) is much coarser and less dusty than playing sand.

I add our oen coffee grounds twice a week, still wet. No problem with such a little amounts

 

[JennyHeidewald]

I've been collecting and oven drying when I get a cookie sheet full, took maybe 30 minutes at 150 ish, stirring occasionally. I get grounds from work, and from a friend, as well as my own production.